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Frank Bryce
|died=16 AugustHarry left for the Weasleys' fourteen days (two weeks) before 1 September; this was 17 August. However, Bryce was murdered the day before Harry left - the 16th., 1994 (aged 76) Riddle House, Little Hangleton, England, Great Britain |blood=Muggle |alias= |title= |hidep= |species=Human |gender=Male |height= |hair=White |eyes=Blue |skin=White |hidef=hide |family= |hidea= |job=Riddle House caretaker/gardener |loyalty=*Riddle family (formerly) *Riddle House }} Frank Bryce (August, 1917 – 16 August, 1994) was a Muggle who lived in the village of Little Hangleton, England. After serving in the Second World War, he returned to Little Hangleton and became the gardener for the Riddle family. He was the prime suspect of the Riddle murders, a crime he did not commit. Two unidentified families lived at the house, but neither stayed long. A wealthy man owned the Riddle house during Frank's last days, although he did not live at the house, being said to keep it "for tax reasons". Shortly before his 77th birthday, Bryce was murdered by Lord Voldemort after Nagini told Voldemort Peter Pettigrew that Bryce was overhearing them discussing their plans to murder Harry Potter. Biography Early life Frank was born in 1917 to a Muggle family. He lived in Little Hangleton along with Dot in his childhood: this makes it likely that Frank was born in the village. Second World War In 1939, the Second World War started, and Frank was called into military service. After three years into the war, his leg was wounded and remained very stiff, so he left the service afterwards presumably because the wound made him incapable of fighting any longer. Gardener for the Riddles By 1943, Frank returned to Little Hangleton with a great dislike of crowds and loud noises, yet his leg was still stiff. He started working as caretaker and gardener for the snobbish Riddle family, in which he was given a small cottage in the Riddles' property. The Riddle murders Around August, 1943, 16-year-old Tom Marvolo Riddle came to Little Hangleton in search of his family. Upon learning of his father's actions toward his mother Merope and himself from his uncle, he decided to murder his father. That same evening, Frank Bryce saw Riddle climbing the hill towards the Riddle House. The next morning, a maid found Thomas Riddle, Mary Riddle and Tom Riddle dead in the Riddle House's drawing room. The local villagers suspected Bryce, and he was taken by the police in the neighbouring Great Hangleton to be questioned, given that he had the only key to the mansion. Though Bryce explained that the last person he saw near the Riddle House was the dark-haired boy, nobody else had seen him and was sure that Bryce invented him. However, the report on the Riddles' bodies was unable to determine the cause of their death, and Frank was released due to lack of evidence, although he was still widely suspected by his neighbours. After the murders Frank had no family, and continued to live a solitary disconnected life in his small cottage on the Riddle House grounds. He continued to be paid as the gardener by the house's succession of owners. As he aged, he was plagued by the pain in his leg, and by the vandalism of local boys, which he suspected was motivated by the belief that he was a murderer. The boys would usually throw rocks into the Riddle House, trample or ride their bicycles on the flowerbeds that Frank worked hard to keep smooth or even break in the House for a dare, then flee when Frank tried to pursue them, unsuccessfully due to his injured leg. Death On 16 August, 1994, Frank Bryce, now nearing his 77th birthday, woke from the pain in his leg, and saw a light in the Riddle House, and he assumed the local boys had broken in and set fire to it. Not having a telephone or trusting the police since his arrest, Frank entered the house to investigate and was surprised to see not vandals, but Lord Voldemort, hidden from view, and his servant Wormtail, discussing on taking Harry Potter's life. Going very deaf from old age, he listened with his better right ear, and though confused with terms such as "Muggles" and "Quidditch," he thought they must be code, and he figured enough to learn that the master had killed a woman with amusement and plotting another murder, directed to a boy. Frank thought he must report this to the police at once, but before he could successfully flee he encountered Nagini, the snake. When Nagini discovered Frank and reported to Voldemort, the Dark Lord welcomed the gardener into the room. In a failed attempt to bluff his way out, Frank said that his wife would notice his disappearance, but Voldemort saw through this deception and found that nobody knew he was there. After challenging Voldemort to show his face "like a man", to which Voldemort replied that he was "much more than a man", Frank was horrified to see a mutilated body in the chair. He screaming so loud that he never heard the incantation of the Killing Curse that took his life, nor did he live to learn that this gruesome form was the "dark-haired boy" he saw that killed the Riddle family and caused all the distrust in Frank for half a century. Post-mortem Frank's "disappearance" was reported in the Muggles news. Apparently none were aware that he has died. Roughly a year later, after Voldemort's rebirth, Frank's shadow reappeared in the Priori Incantatem caused by the duel between Harry Potter and Voldemort. Frank then realised that Voldemort was indeed a wizard, and supported Harry to defeat the Dark Lord in revenge for his demise. He, and the other echoes, helped Harry escape by distracting Voldemort. Media File:Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Frank Bryce's eavsdroping|Frank Bryce's eavesdropping File:Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Killing Frank Bryce|Killing Frank Bryce Personality and traits Frank is described to have a "horrible temper" since he was a child. He was not very sociable; according to the Riddles' cook he "never wanted to mix". After his experiences during the War, he developed a great dislike of crowds and loud noises. When the time finally comes to take action, he manages his fear much easier; in 1994, despite being terrified of the murderer who is standing besides a door in the Riddle House, he confronts him, when he was caught eavesdropping. Upon his temporary return to Earth during the duel between Harry and Voldemort he seemed to have a dry acceptance of his death. Bryce supported the former despite never meeting him before, while distracting the latter in revenge for killing him. Possessions *'Cottage' - This cottage was Frank's permanent residence and was not very far from the graveyard. *'Walking stick' - Frank also had a walking stick and kept it whenever he went anywhere. He drops it when he see's Voldemort's shrivelled and shrunken body, leaving its fate unknown. Etymology The name "Frank" comes from a Germanic name which referred to a member of the Germanic tribe, the Franks. The Franks settled in the regions now called France and the Netherlands in the 3rd and 4th century. They derived their tribal name from the name of a type of throwing axe that they used. The name was brought to England by the Normans. Notable bearers include author L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) and architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959). Behind the scenes took Frank Bryce's role in ]] *Frank was portrayed by Eric Sykes in . *Frank is one of only five characters in the Harry Potter book series whose thoughts have been disclosed by the narrator, the others being Harry Potter, Vernon Dursley, Narcissa Malfoy, and the British Prime Minister. However, Tom Riddle's viewpoint is shown via Potter. Other scenes depict Severus Snape, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, and Albus Dumbledore, but these scenes do not appear to be told from anyone's point of view in particular. *Albus Dumbledore incorrectly suspected that Frank's death was used by Voldemort to turn Nagini into his final Horcrux, but it was officially stated that Bertha Jorkins's death was used instead. However, as Jorkins was omitted from the films (and she did not appear in the stream of people who appeared in the Priori Incantatem), Frank's death might have been used instead in the film timeline. However, this still leaves in question how Voldemort knew about the Triwizard Tournament. So Bertha may have been present offscreen, but not killed with Voldemort's wand, perhaps by Nagini instead. *In the book, Frank is invited into the room and killed when he demands Voldemort to show himself. In the film, Voldemort does not tell Wormtail to beckon Bryce, but tells him to stand aside and merely kills Bryce at the spot where he was standing. *In the film, he has only one line of spoken dialogue – "Bloody kids!". He also screams in fear before his death. *Frank Bryce's role in the story is replaced by a milkman in . Appearances * * * Notes and references es:Frank Bryce fr:Frank Bryce it:Frank Bryce ru:Фрэнк Брайс nl:Frank Braam pl:Frank Bryce pt-br:Franco Bryce Bryce, Frank Bryce, Frank Bryce, Frank Bryce, Frank Category:Groundskeepers Category:Individuals with disabilities Bryce, Frank Bryce, Frank Category:Military personnel Bryce, Frank Bryce, Frank Category:Return of Lord Voldemort participants Bryce, Frank Category:Second World War veterans